NEW YORK TRUCK ATTACK ON CROWD WAS INSPIRED BY ISIS, NYPD CONFIRMS

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2017 (New York) – A terrorist who plowed a rented truck onto a bike and pedestrian path, killing eight people yesterday in Manhattan and injuring a dozen more left a note pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State or ISIS,  John Miller, the deputy New York police commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, said at a briefing  today.

Sayfullo Saipov, a legal permanent resident, came to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010 through a diversity visa program, the Washington Post reports.  He had lived in several states and worked as an Uber driver.  Authorities believe he spent months plotting the attack, following guidelines provided in ISIS materials, though it is not yet known whether he had any direct contact from the terror organization.

Saipov drove the rental truck at a high rate of speed, intentionally ramming cyclists and pedestrians before colliding with a school bus. He got out of the vehicle holding weapons that turned out to be pellet and paintball guns. 

Saipov was shot and wounded, then taken into custody by police, the Washington Post reports.